Today in Thailand

Most of Thailand's 66 million people live in the countryside or in rural villages, where they earn a living in agriculture, predominantly by rice farming. However, as in many developing nations, there is a constant drift of people from the country to the city, and Bangkok, the nation's capital, is now home to over 8 million. The city's inhabitants are divided between wealthy Thais, often of Chinese ancestry, who are educated and hold formidable positions, and mostly uneducated workers, who came from the rural hinterland (termed "upcountry" by Thais). Hierarchy, or class, is an important distinction to Thais, who, like many of the region's nations, follow a loose version of India's caste system. When a Thai meets someone, he or she can instantly size that person up and, depending on that individual's social status, will treat the person accordingly. Interestingly, as a foreigner, you are automatically awarded a position of stature, regardless of your social standing back home, just as long you don't flout Thai etiquette.

So, who exactly are the Thai people? It's hard to say. There really are no historically "ethnic" Thais. Today's Thais (about 75% of the population) emerged from waves of various immigrants going back around 10 centuries. "Looking Back at Thailand,"  explains these waves in greater detail, but, by and large, the main bloodline is infused with indigenous people from the Bronze Age, southern Chinese tribes, Mons from Myanmar (Burma), Khmers from Cambodia, Malays, Arabs, and Europeans, plus more recent immigrants from China, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar. Central Thailand is a true melting pot; however, southern Thais have a closer ancestral affinity with Malays, while Thais in the north are more closely related to the Chinese, Laotians, and Burmese. The north is also home to small groups of Akha, Lisu, Lahu, Hmong, and Yao -- brightly dressed hill-tribes who migrated south from China and Tibet during the past century. In the northeast province of Isan, Laotian influence prevails. The remaining 25% of the population are divided between Chinese (14%) and Indians, Malays, Karens, Khmer, and Mons (11%).

Despite this diversity of ethnic origin, when it comes to religion, over 95% of the country's inhabitants are Buddhist, and there are over 40,000 temples scattered around the country. There are small pockets of Christians, particularly in the north, where missionaries have had limited success in converting hill-tribes. Muslim communities tend to be concentrated in the south, where unpredictable attacks by separatists on schools and government buildings have made the southern provinces off-limits to tourists for some years now.